make do and mend for tougher times

2tonsils

we had horrendous storms from 5pm yesterday till 7 this morning, non stop lightning and really loud continuous thunder. Hope my friends were okay on their flight that was due to leave at 9 last night! Nothing worse than flying through a storm...

Going to have a meal out tonight, cheap chicken and chips at our friends little grill room then a few songs at the karaoke night as a treat for us. Haven't been out for ages as my OH was too ill to go anywhere. He is on the mend now the antibiotics have kicked in. I feel fine now and his mum is out of hospital in the UK.

Have just put away all my summer clothes and put my winter ones in the wardrobe and my chest of drawers. I even had the idea to put them in groups of each colour so I can mix and match them easier. I also put my winter boots and shoes out and packed the sandals. It made me feel very organised even if it did make me ache doing it. I had the time free as my internet was down. For some reason my internet won't work on my laptop after I have had updates from microsoft...I have to take the computer back to an earlier time to sort it out again.

Have a great weekend everyone xxxxx

catznine

I do feel for the people of Greece as it all seems to have happened so quickly! At least here we have a bit more time to prepare and hopefully it will not get so bad. The back taxes without warning can't be legal can it? I guess governments can make things law if it suits them! At least here it has to go before the house of lords to make it law doesn't it?

Byatt

I am part Greek 2tonsils, so always enjoy reading your posts. My plan was to retire to Greece, and although it's not viable now, I still hope for it one day.

SpikyHedgehog

catznine wrote: »

I do feel for the people of Greece as it all seems to have happened so quickly! At least here we have a bit more time to prepare and hopefully it will not get so bad. The back taxes without warning can't be legal can it? I guess governments can make things law if it suits them! At least here it has to go before the house of lords to make it law doesn't it?

And that's why they're trying to get rid of the house of lords...

2tonsils

I can't remember if it was someone on this thread that mentioned the high cost of running a dehumidifier? If it was this may be interesting....a dehumidifier is usually around 250 watts of power...so when its running its around 3 pence an hour...but since they cut out now and again when they are running it should work out about one pound a week to leave it plugged in and running.They are well worth having to stop the damp and they do raise the room temperature by around four degrees.

It will run more in the beginning till it gets the humidity to a certain level in the room (you can adjust this on the machine). We run ours all the time summer and winter as the humidity here is very high at times and can cause mold in the house and all over stored clothes. We use the water to top up the steam iron and car battery and store the rest.

Churchmouse

2tonsils wrote: »

Just to answer your comments, I live in Greece and things are very hard here. Very few will have had stores to tide them over as few people here saw what was coming. I know many people who have not been paid for over a year even though they have continued working. People on pensions and government salaries had them cut suddenly last year, in some cases down to 300 euros a month. The government voted it in at midnight and the cuts were backdated so the people owed the government their own wages they had earned. There was no warning so people were not prepared. We have just had to pay taxes for the year 2010-2011...it was backdated (but didn't even exist then ).

Even now the government is voting in the next cuts and taxes that will not be announced until we owe the money or the wage is due to be paid.

The unrest has been grossly exaggerated by the world press...there have been a few big demonstrations, a few anarchists who were all filmed, and some strikes that we have been notified of in advance so we can be prepared. Things are hard here, but its still safe to go out and enjoy yourself and for the tourists to come over and have a good time. Don't let the news and papers lead you astray...

Oh dear I'm afraid it's too late for one cancelled booking. A large contingent of my extended family were planning on a Greek holiday next Spring ( we couldn't go unfortunately) but having read your posts about the hardships, and the threat of all those strikes etc I told them to think again, and referred them to this site. They've now decided on Italy instead.

Byatt

2tonsils wrote: »

I can't remember if it was someone on this thread that mentioned the high cost of running a dehumidifier? If it was this may be interesting....a dehumidifier is usually around 250 watts of power...so when its running its around 3 pence an hour...but since they cut out now and again when they are running it should work out about one pound a week to leave it plugged in and running.They are well worth having to stop the damp and they do raise the room temperature by around four degrees.

It will run more in the beginning till it gets the humidity to a certain level in the room (you can adjust this on the machine). We run ours all the time summer and winter as the humidity here is very high at times and can cause mold in the house and all over stored clothes. We use the water to top up the steam iron and car battery and store the rest.

I have a teeny, tiny one as all I could afford and was desperate, but the amount of water it collects is amazing. I think it's 250 ml, does that sound right? I'm no good with metric. I have it running all the time because it's small and the difference is already marked. The musty, damp smell is going, the air feels warmer. I use the water for my plants at the moment, I don't iron.

2tonsils

Churchmouse, Italy and Spain are in an even worse situation than we are in Greece, so they won't be any better off going there than if they came to Greece. I never said it was unsafe for tourists or anything else to stop them from coming. I said that most tourists come for holidays and are unaware of any problems if you read my posts on here. I am saying how it is for the locals, I have lived here , year round, for nineteen years and I know how hard they are going to find it this winter.

Popperwell

Generally, the public transport around here is too expensive and stinks...whilst possible I wanted to book a special concert to see Grahame Gouldman of 10cc doing an acoustic set with the rest of 10cc approx 17 miles away...next year.

The busses stop as earlier as teatime and there are none coming back. The best I can do is go really early and hang around. Or go there via a detour adding another 12 miles onto the journey. Change busses. But coming home there are lots of busses up to a very late time after midnight which will take me back to this detour 12 miles away but then I cannot get back home again so would have to use a taxi.

Or I get get off the bus where Fuddle lives at approx midnight and order a taxi from there which means I am only 8 miles from home so that will be a little less expensive.

Public transport stinks...

I have found loads of cheap or free things that would get me out of here but what kills seeing some great exhibitions, free concerts and even doing some learning classes isn't the cost of the event but the cost of getting there and back/whether transport is available and then they say use it instead of your own car...

Only two routes are reasonable and run mostly without any problems Darlington to Durham and back or Darlington to Bishop Auckland. Which pass through my town.It would not be so bad if the busses back from Stockton on Tees, Durham or Newcastle could connect with a last bus but you can only manage to get back to roughly half of the journey required.

Popperwell

fuddle wrote: »

GreyQueen is around, I seen her... prepping

Is he new smiley or is this the same baffoon as before? (oops sorry, should't call people I don't know a baffoon!)

Well I never! I didn't realise you could make so much out of something so little. There is 1 tablespoon of marg in those carrot cookies and with a few tablespoons of other things, it's made 12 cookies. Yet to be tasted but cooking along with flapjack for pudding tonight and tomorrow.

Oh, I can't get Tesco value cornflakes in my shopping. So instead of paying 30p I have to pay £1.67 I hope it's just not available and not discontinued. Monday is the day I can get it delivered... meat and all!

If I manage to get a lodger I hope I am lucky in my choice...may be asking Smiley for advice...

I think Marguerite Patten is brilliant...

When those cornflakes first came out I could not get any for 3-4 weeks and all that was on the shelf was a label with the price.